United’s draw with West Ham in the FA Cup generated some questions of which players are best suited for the squad
Manchester United were able to salvage a draw against West Ham United on Sunday in the quarter final of FA cup at Old Trafford. The Red Devils will require a win in the replay at Upton park to go into the next round. The visitors took the lead with a brilliant freekick from Dimtri Payet in the second half, but Payet’s fellow countrymen Anthony Martial equalised for Manchester United at the end of the second half.
The Red Devils delivered a better performance than the last two games. Louis Van Gaal brought back Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard into the side for Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis and the suspended Juan Mata. It was a fair result for both the sides and here are the major talking points from the game.
Daley Blind should be given rest
Daley Blind has been the most used player by Louis Van Gaal during his reign at Manchester United. The former Ajax midfielder has already played more than 40 games this season. The last match he missed for Manchester United was way back in November against Watford. He has been deployed in the centreback position for the most part this season and now deserves some kind of rest.
His tiredness is seen in virtually all of his performances. He was bullied by Andy Caroll in yesterday’s game and gave away a cheap free kick that led to West Ham’s goal. The Dutch international has done well this season but looks like he is in the so called “red zone”. Van Gaal should think about resting him or it could prove costly for the Red Devils in upcoming big matches.
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Bastian Schweinsteiger should start when fit
Manchester United showed a different kind of urgency when the German captain came on late in the second half. He tried to force an equalizer for his team by playing some crisp passes in the final time and was able to lift the team with his pressing. Manchester United have many options in midfield, but Schweinsteiger remains their best midfielder in this squad.
He is able to lead by example on the pitch and brings a calmness in the midfield for the Red Devils. This week is going to be huge for Van Gaal as the team will be looking to overcome the deficit against Liverpool and beat their neighbors Manchester City in the Premier League. Van Gaal needs to start Schweinsteiger in these games in order to achieve positive results from both the fixtures.
Ander Herrera works better in midfield three than at number 10
As the team sheets came out, it was clear that Ander Herrera was going to play as a number 10 replacing Juan Mata. The Spaniard was however shifted to the right hand side of the midfield pairing, forming a midfield trio with Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini. He dropped deep to initiate the attack and did all the dirty work with some good tackles.
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Herrera is not a pure number 10 and does his best as a box to box midfielder when complimented with perfect players in the midfield. Van Gaal had a great time last year when he shifted to midfield three at the end of the last season. Herrera again highlighted in this game that he is better off in midfield three than a no. 10 or a holding midfielder.
Anthony Martial is as effective at wing as he is centrally
The French forward might have gotten the goal as soon as he moved centrally after the substitution of Memphis Depay in the second half, but he still remains Manchester United’s best option on the left flank. The former Monaco forward was not enjoying his best game but still created the best chances of the game for the Red Devils. He delivered a great ball in the box in first half only for it to be volleyed off target by Herrera.
The Frenchmen was isolated in the games against West Brom and Liverpool as he was not able to get the much needed delivery in the final third. It was completely a different story against West Ham as he was able to beat his man on the left flank creating chances for his teammates as well as space for himself to flourish.
Memphis Depay needs run of games
When things were looking better for Depay at Manchester United, he was demoted to the bench by van Gaal. It is a very poor management by Van Gaal of a young talent who is lacking confidence. He produced his best displays in United shirt against Midtjylland and Arsenal, but saw himself on bench against West Brom.
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Depay enjoys playing at left flank but as mentioned above Martial is the best option at the left flank, so van Gaal should give Memphis a run of games as a forward. The Dutch international played there only once against Watford in November and grabbed his second goal in Premier League. Depay is quite lazy while tracking back while Martial has learnt the trade of being disciplined on the left flank. If Depay gets a run of games even as a centre forward it will help him in rebuilding his confidence, which is knackered right now.